1997 Antinori Tignanello IGT, Tuscany, Italy

A slow starter at first, but after a while the wine started to open.Came back with, black currants, roasted coffee but a little too much earthy style. The cabernet takes too much away from the Sangiovese (93)

Tasted October 2003

1997 Antinori Tignanello IGT, Tuscany, Italy

My recent Tignanello experiences (the ’90 and ’95) did both show low complexity and a way too commercial styled wine with simple blackcurrant and roasted coffee notes. Regrettably this 1997 follows that path; these dull notes is however more low toned. Besides the blackcurrant, roasted coffee – there is dust, leather, and an overall rustic and shy nose. When I say shy, my first thought was that the wine was in a dull phase, but it showed no real evolvement in the glass. I was desperately seeking for some sort of nerve or soul, but never found it. The taste is fair, innocent and “plain vanilla” (88)

Tasted Apr-2006

1997 Antinori Tignanello IGT, Tuscany, Italy

Mainly inspired by my recent encounter with the 1997 Rancia from Felsina, I decided to pull the cork from another ’97, to see if similar beneficiary evolvement had set in. The 1997 Tignanello puzzles me – it’s still very shy, but again I have to be a bit concerned about its profile. The nose is again very rustic; smoke, dust, leather, herbs / thyme and wet forest. There are very little fresh fruit and berry sweetness signs – it’s all about this rustic dusty nose. Over the 5 hours the bottle was open there was no change at all in the glass. On the positive side, the nose is fair on classic appeal and not in any way commercial with designed fruit appeal. The taste is on the first sips okay, but analyzing it a bit further it drops a bit funny – first it dries out the first part of the mouth, then gliding on the back palate, but dividing itself on the sides, leaving very little on the middle where minerals and structure often presents itself. So – a fair wine and it worked alright with the food, but it’s constant dusty profile is either a sign of major dull phase or it will come back in 5-6 years time. I have my doubts. (90?)

Tasted Nov-2006